“We are deeply concerned about the decision of the court in Saratov to imprison six members of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization for their peaceful religious activities,” Ortegus wrote on her Twitter.

Deeply concerned by Russian court decision to jail six Jehovah's Witnesses in Saratov for peaceful religious practice. We urge #Russia to respect its citizens' rights to religious freedom and stop falsely accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of extremism.

- Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) September 21, 2019

She also called for an end to the Jehovah’s Witnesses accusations of extremism.

According to TASS, on September 20, the Leninsky District Court of Saratov found six members of this organization guilty under Art. 282 of the Criminal Code ("The incitement of hatred or enmity, as well as the humiliation of human dignity") and sentenced them to 2 years to 3 years and 6 months in a penal colony.

On June 7, in Dagestan, 15 cells of Jehovah's Witnesses were stopped.

* The management center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia (Jehovah’s Witnesses) is a religious organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20, 2017, appellate determination of the Board of Appeals of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of July 17, 2017).